


butterflies

by mitikune



Category: Minecraft (Video Game)
Genre: Butterflies, DNF, Fluff and Angst, M/M, Mutual Pining, POV Clay | Dream (Video Blogging RPF), Slow Burn, Songfic, based off of 'butterflies' by zendaya!, dreamnotfound
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-11
Updated: 2021-01-16
Packaged: 2021-03-15 05:47:50
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,243
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28683525
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mitikune/pseuds/mitikune
Summary: my heart keeps tellin' me the perfect lieyou rip me up with every last goodbyei don't wanna stay forever,it's just another now or neverso, heart don't let me trust these butterfliesi don't trust these butterflies'cause they fool me every time-"butterflies" - zendaya
Relationships: Clay | Dream/GeorgeNotFound (Video Blogging RPF)
Comments: 21
Kudos: 19





	1. gonepteryx rhamni

**Author's Note:**

> okay listen  
> there are going to be so many fucking inaccuracies about like. where butterflies actually live. like i know 99.9% of these butterflies probably aren't native to florida/the us in general but just let me do this for ~symbolism~ okay  
> i'll ignore it if u do thank u xoxo<33

"No, no, listen," Dream wheezed as he sprinted around his house with a glass jar and a tissue, "I just left it open a crack because I figured nothing could get in--"

"How did you figure that?" Came a British laugh from the other end, "do you realize what can get in tiny cracks? Like, mice? Chipmunks?"

"No, no, no it wasn't even that big of a crack, it was just a little bit!" Dream's arms shot out as he tried to catch the butterfly in front of him, only to watch it flutter away again with a frustrated groan. 

"Well still, spiders could get in, or like, flies... or other bugs," George continued on the other end of the line, giggling at the frustrated grunt. "You're doing great, sweetie."

"Oh shut up!" Dream laughed. He began creeping towards the butterfly that had now perched itself on top of his counter, watching its wings slowly open and close. It was a soft green color, resembling a leaf. If Dream hadn't watched it take flight, he would've mistaken it for a left blowing in the slow draft from the (still open, dense sweetie doesn't learn) window. He shuffled forward slowly, and George listened to the Floridian breathe softly into the phone speaker. He was so close, able to inclose it in the glass jar and safely release it back outside and into the wild, when--

_"Boo!"_

Dream let out a sudden yelp, dropping his phone and startling the butterfly into flying back across the room. Dream groaned in frustration, hearing laughter pour out of the speakers. "You asshole!" He said, but George knew there was no malice; he could hear the smile in the honeyed voice. "I literally almost had it!"

"I figured, you'd never been so quiet in your life!" George teased, and earned a huff from Dream in response. "Dude, you could just leave it. It could be your pet or something," he grinned. 

Dream scoffed. "A pet butterfly, George?"

"Why not? You said it was pretty, didn't you?"

"Well, yeah, but..." His eyes were fixed on the butterfly as he watched it flutter around the ceiling of his kitchen, and he slowly set down the glass. "...some pretty things just aren't meant to be tied down to one person. They deserve to roam freely, for the whole world to see."

"...what?"

Dream blinked, chuckling a bit and rubbing the back of his neck. "I'm just babbling, I didn't get a lot of sleep last night," he admitted with a swallow. Giving one last look to the butterfly before deciding to leave it alone for now, he moved to sit on the sofa. His fingers tapped against his knee, setting his phone on the armrest of the couch and putting it on speaker. 

"Really, why?" George asked, and Dream could hear the soft clicks of a keyboard in the background.

"Dunno, just been thinking a lot. Nothing particular, I guess, just..." He shrugged, not that George could see. "It's nothing."

"If you're sure," George mumbled, almost absently.

"What're you doing?" Dream asked, his eyes trailing upwards to look at the butterfly that had now managed to follow him into the living room. He found himself smiling. It was truly beautiful, wasn't it? He'd always had an appreciation for pretty creatures in nature. 

"Just putting some final touches on a video I'm doing. How's your pet butterfly?" George teased lightly.

Dream chuckled. "It's in the living room with me now. I'm gonna leave the window open, it'll fly out on its own eventually."

"Dude, I'm telling you, you gotta keep it. Twitter would love it. Dream and his pet green butterfly." George snickered, followed by more gentle taps against the keys.

"Patches would eat it even if I wanted to," Dream said, and then sighed dramatically. "I don't get to have pretty things in my life, Georgie."

"Oh don't be a drama queen," George chuckled, and Dream smiled softly. 

The call was quiet and uneventful, sure, but those were arguably the best times. The times that Dream could just relish in George's company, listen to him work and speak idly to himself, and sometimes, if Dream was really lucky, he would hum or sing. Those were his favorites. Sometimes he'd lay down, listen to George hum like it was a lullaby. Nothing in this world brought him more peace and serenity. "Think I'm gonna do research on this thing," Dream finally spoke quietly, eyes still trained on the fluttering butterfly. "Wonder what kind it is."

"Wait, describe it to me? I'm at my computer and have google pulled dup anyway, I'd love to help you figure out what species of butterfly your new pet is," George said, and Dream could hear a few clicks signaling that he was getting ready to search.

"Okay, uhhh..." Dream hummed to himself. "It's a really light green, it looks kinda like a leaf? So maybe search like... leaf butterfly?"

"Veeeery descriptive," George teased, earning another chuckle from Dream. "Okay, uh, all that comes up is... an orange oakleaf? But it's- brown, why is it... called orange--"

"You're colorblind, George, maybe it is orange and you're just bad," Dream teased with an obvious grin.

"Oh shut up," George snorted. "So that's not it. You said it was green. What else do we try?"

"Um... green butterfly?" Dream suggested lamely.

"Okay..." A few more clicks. "You said it was a light green, not vibrant?"

"Yeah. And its got like, two faded brown spots on its wings?" Dream added helpfully. 

After a moment, George hummed. "Try looking up a male common brimstone. Does that look like it?"

Dream grabbed his phone, swiping up on the call with George to access safari, and typing in the suggested butterfly. "Oh, yeah, that's it," Dream nodded his head as he scrolled through images. 

"It says here it's used a lot for camouflage," George said, and Dream could picture him hunched over his desk, scrolling through Wikipedia. "That it's coloring makes it really easy to hide in plain sight."

Dream let out a small chuckle. How ironic was that? He lay down, swiping back into the call, before putting his phone on his chest and losing his eyes. George continued to talk, rattling off facts about the butterfly, and Dream listened to each and every one. He listened to the way George said words differently than him, listened to the accent rolling off his tongue, listened to the facts he spoke that seemed to fill him with a giddy sense of joy. Dream hadn't realized he had been smiling until his cheeks began to ache.

"Clay, you still there?"

The use of his real name made his eyes open, and bring a light heat to his face. "Sorry, yeah. Just listening," he mused. "Do you really think Patches would eat it if I kept it?"

"Him, Dream. It's a boy."

Dream hummed in response. "Him, then. He needs a name."

"Are you really going to keep him?" George asked, and Dream could tell he was smiling. That sealed the deal for him.

"Yeah, why not? I can get a little enclosure and everything, do some research about how to like... feed it, and care for it," he shrugged. "Seems fun, and like you said, Twitter would love it."

"That they would!" George chimed happily. "So, names."

"Names," Dream echoed, humming in thought. "Bartholomew."

"What?" George laughed. "No! That's, like, the worst name ever."

"You just offended all the Bartholomews of the world," Dream added with a little laugh.

"What about like... Leaf?"

Dream wheezed. "Okay, you cannot come at me for Bartholomew when your best option was _Leaf!"_

"I don't know! It looks like a Leaf!" George giggled.

Dream laughed, closing his eyes again. It was silent for a few minutes as the two of them thought about names. Dream opened his mouth to speak, before he felt a delicate sensation at the tip of his nose. His eyelids fluttered open to find the butterfly perched between his eyes, and he smiled. "What about Mint? Like, Mint Leaf? It incorporates your idea, and then, like, a much better one."

George chuckled on the other end of the phone. "Mint it is. When are you going to tell the world about him?"

"Probably once I get an actual enclosure," Dream said. "...he's on my nose right now. I think he likes me."

"It must think you're a leaf, with how green your sweatshirt and eyes are," George grinned. "That, or it thinks it can hide amongst you. Are you hiding something, Dream?" 

It was meant to be a tease, a gentle prod, but... Dream's heart skipped a beat in his chest. He chuckled awkwardly, opening his eyes. "I gotta go, George. I'm getting tired."

"No sleep call?" George pouted.

"No, not tonight." Dream said, moving the phone to his ear again slowly and cautiously as to not disturb Mint. He pressed it against his ear, quietly saying, "goodbye, Georgie," before hanging up. The moment he hung up, Mint fluttered off of his nose and back to hovering among the ceiling. 

Dream let out a dry chuckle. 

Maybe the blasted creature really did know he was trying to hide just as desperately as it was.


	2. larvae

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Right as he was about to get into the drivers seat, he paused. 
> 
> Atop his windshield was a caterpillar. One with white, yellow and black stripes alternating. He blinked, before experimentally sticking his finger in front of it and letting it inch its way into it. Dream's smiles softened at the corners. What was this, was he really going to just raise butterflies now?
> 
> He felt drawn to this creature, and he didn't know why. He felt drawn to see what it would become and grow and turn into. Like it was important. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> if you liked this and want updates/want to talk to me, my twitter is @mitikune_ ! please come say hi :D! i'd love that!!!

Dream had spent most of his morning doing the exact same thing he had spent most of his afternoon doing yesterday, but this time with a new purpose: try to capture Mint, and bring him with him to the pet store so that the professionals could confirm the species and help him accordingly care for him. But looking back on it now, as he entered the store, he began to realize that his expectations were a bit too high-set. It was a butterfly, not a pet; these people weren't likely to know anything about him. Regardless, he cradled the large glass mason jar that he'd finally managed to coerce the butterfly into with the promise of a cotton ball dipped in sweet sugar water laying in the bottom. 

He cradled it in his arms like a baby as he pushed open the door to the store, a resounding bell-chime bouncing off the walls. A few different employees greeted him, all glancing down at the butterfly in his arms with a slight bit of confusion that Dream wrote off. He supposed it must look a little odd. He moved towards the counter with a small smile. "Hey, uh... I know it's a long-shot, but can you help me rehouse this butterfly? Like, what would I need for a proper enclosure, what should I feed him, that kind of thing? It would mean a lot to me."

"Uh, well..." The employee watched as Dream set Mint's make-shift home on the counter, watching him flutter about in the cramped space. It made Dream sad. He really deserved something far better than this. Mint was slowly beginning to represent something more than just a pet. "He'd definitely need a bigger enclosure. Probably not one made of glass either, he could damage his wings if he continues to fly against it. Maybe something made of mesh? As for food, butterflies eat from their proboscis. They eat sugary stuff, like... sugar water, or the nectar from flowers. They're really easy to care for, actually, so long as you get a big enough mesh enclosure and then replenish the sugar water, you should be fine. Do you know what kind of butterfly it is?"

"Well, maybe? We google searched and just compared pictures, we're not entirely sure, but... we think its a male common brimstone butterfly?" Dream shrugged his shoulders, watching Mint hit the glass again with a wince. "Do you guys sell the enclosures here?"

"We do, actually," the lady chimed helpfully, stepping out from behind the counter. "This way, sir."

Dream gently cradled Mint back into his arms, walking with her to a section of the store. "Thank you," he smiled as she left his side to greet another customer, right when Dream felt his phone buzzing against his hip. He hummed idly, pulling it out and seeing a discord call from George. He lifted it to his ear. "Hello, Gogy, what's up?"

"What're you up to? I've been texting you non-stop!" George huffed, "Can't believe you'd ignore your best friend," he playfully prodded.

"I'm at the pet store right now, so I was driving, idiot," Dream grinned. 

"Oh, getting some stuff for Patches? You're absolutely right, the queen takes top priority," George quickly backpedalled. 

"Actually, I'm... getting some stuff for Mint," Dream corrected. "Buying a big enclosure made of mesh so he can't hurt his wings."

"Ohhh," George hummed through the phone. "Yes, take good care of our son. If I find out he gets hurt over there, I'll sue for custody."

"Our son?" Dream let out a small laugh, trying not to let his mind consider the implications of that too much. It was a joke. Nothing more. 

"Yeah, our son! Y'know, I was actually doing some research too," George chimed in. "Some people just let their pet butterflies--which are a thing! It's not as uncommon as it sounds--fly around room of their house, and then just set aside a tray of sugar water or chopped up fruit like oranges. They don't even really need an enclosure, unless you're worried about squishing them at night, or..."

"Patches," they said in unison.

"I'll probably get him one, maybe just for night?" Dream shrugged. "Patches usually sleeps with me, but other than that she stays out of my room in favor of the couch or her cat tree. If I leave Mint's food inside the enclosure, it'll be easy enough to get him to go in rather than just chasing him around with a broom and a mason jar like I spent five hours doing this morning."

"A broom and a mason jar," George laughed. "What I wouldn't give to see that."

Dream scoffed. "I'm sure you would." He eyed the prices with a soft whistle. "I'm really gonna go for broke to take care of a pet butterfly."

"Yes, you are!" George said excitedly. "We're gonna be dads!"

Dream let out a soft wheeze. "George, oh my god, don't let Twitter hear you say that."

George giggled in response as Dream scooped up a mesh enclosure, heading to the checkout and then sitting back in his car. "I'm gonna head home now. Which means I have to drive. Which means I'm going to hang up."

"Alright, you do that," George hummed. "I'll talk to you later, Dream."

"Later." Dream hung up, setting the enclosure and Mint gently in the seat of his car. Right as he was about to get into the drivers seat, he paused. 

Atop his windshield was a caterpillar. One with white, yellow and black stripes alternating. He blinked, before experimentally sticking his finger in front of it and letting it inch its way into it. Dream's smiles softened at the corners. What was this, was he really going to just raise butterflies now?

He felt drawn to this creature, and he didn't know why. He felt drawn to see what it would become and grow and turn into. Like it was important. 

He slid into the seat of his car, and put the caterpillar atop Mint's mason jar, before driving home. 

-

When he got there and set up the enclosure, he hesitantly removed the lid from the jar. Mint fluttered out of the top, landing gently on his finger. Dream's heart swelled. He moved his hand into the large mesh enclosure that took up a fairly large portion of his vanity and stretched from there to the ceiling, and let Mint flutter away. He then instead put the caterpillar into the mason jar and put a mesh lid overtop of it with some leaves. 

He took a picture of the setup, and sent it to George over Snapchat. The caption read, "our kids". 

Dream went to go make lunch, feeling his phone vibrate against his hip. He picked it up and read it as he turned on the stove. 

It was a picture of George's face, lips parted in surprise. The caption read, "they're lovely! have you always liked butterflies?"

Dream hummed to himself in thought. The answer was no, but for some reason, they're all he can think about. He sent a snap of the pan he'd placed on the stove, melting butter. "no, don't think so. guess u really just persuaded me to care for mint, then i found another and i couldn't resist."

"do u know what kind of caterpillar it is?" Just a snap of a black screen.

Dream put a piece of bread into the melted butter. "i actually do. it's a monarch caterpillar. they were everywhere in florida, really pretty. my sister once got this butterfly enclosure with live caterpillars for a science project. it was pretty cool"

It was silent for a little while as Dream continued to make his grilled cheese sandwich. He frowned at the lack of messages from George. Wasn't like him to just end a conversation without saying anything beforehand. He picked up his phone and sent another snap. "did u like butterflies growing up?"

A few minutes went by, before his phone buzzed again. "i guess, actually. really gentle, delicate, pretty creatures. i used to catch them growing up a lot"

Dream hummed at the response, muttering a 'ow!' as he moved his sandwich from the pan to the plate, licking his fingers. "why'd u stop?"

There was another long pause. At this point, they'd been typing rather than snapping, and Dream could see George's bitmoji popping up to type, then stopping, then popping up to type, then stopping again. He was about to chime in and tell him that he didn't have to say, before the message came through.

"i guess i never really did."

Dream blinked. That was an odd response, he thought, as he took a bite of his sandwich. He texted back, "wym?"

He didn't get a response. 

-

That night, Dream was laying on his back on his bed, and Mint was fluttering around the spacious room outside his enclosure. Occasionally he'd perch on different things, and Dream would watch with fascination as his wings went from rapidly fluttering to keep his tiny body in flight, to very very slowly opening and closing his wings, as if showing off. He couldn't stop thinking about yesterday's conversation.

_"It says here it's used a lot for camouflage. That it's coloring makes it really easy to hide in plain sight."_

_"That, or it thinks it can hide amongst you. Are you hiding something, Dream?"_

Dream watched Mint take flight again, flapping at the ceilings of the room. _If only he knew,_ Dream mused to himself. He wasn't a very superstitious man, but... maybe this butterfly came to him for a reason. Maybe it was a sign. It was ridiculous, but... maybe, just maybe, it was a sign to stop hiding. 

Or maybe Dream was looking for any excuse to finally confess these pent up feelings to his straight best friend.

Dream sighed, and, right on cue, Mint landed on Dream's chest. His green eyes gazed down at the small creature with a fond smile. "...what do you think, Minty?" He mumbled. "Do you think I'm crazy?"

The butterfly's wings fluttered ever so slightly. 

Dream laughed, closing his eyes with a sigh. "...yeah, I think so, too."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> no new species in this chapter besides the monarch, but they were pretty much explained in this fic! dream's feelings are stagnant; he can't tell what to do, and he's trying to find console in a butterfly.
> 
> it just might work.

**Author's Note:**

> gonepteryx rhamni - common brimstone butterfly. the wings of these male butterflies are a delicate green, akin to leaves, that make it ideal for hiding in plain sight, unbeknownst to predators. 
> 
> dream's feelings have been hiding in plain sight as well, shoved down far enough into repression that he's able to deny their very existence. but for how long?


End file.
